Manolo on Edu Expósito, Kike García, Rubén Sánchez, Antoniu, rotations, and Alavés

RCD Espanyol

Feelings after the defeat
Feelings are good despite the result. We are working. Football is complicated: when we won five in a row, maybe we weren't given the right credit. Now we have to stay calm, work, and aim for victory.

Carlos Vicente and the Premier League
I don't think I'm the right person to comment on that. They will have done their math. The Premier League has a lot of potential, just look at the Champions League. Teams from other leagues are far from the level of the English league, and it shows.

Referees
I won't talk about the referees anymore. Let's focus on what matters.

Alavés, next opponent
They are a tough and competitive team, they excel in various aspects of the game. They made things very difficult for Atlético at the Metropolitano. We have to focus on overcoming them.

It will be an intense opponent, with a high rhythm of play and good ball control. In the second half of the last match, we were better with the ball. We need to win duels, be precise, and maintain rhythm, something we have been lacking a bit.

The key: effectiveness
We go back to the same thing: we have to win the match with football, but being effective in front of goal. Now, even without conceding much, we are struggling to score. That is one of tomorrow's key points.

Forwards and streaks
It's true that there is a lot of talk about streaks. Julián Álvarez is a great player and lately hasn't been scoring; Antony either. We don't value goals much. We create chances, and the dynamic will change, but goals are hard to come by.

Keep calm and focus on the game
I don't want us to be given anything or taken away. We want to win by playing our game. Don't let them take us out of the match. Stay calm and focus on the game, that's what will help us tomorrow.

Antoniu and Rubén

19

Antoniu Roca
170.000€+10.000€    4

J1

MD

00

44

Rubén Sánchez Sáez
720.000€-50.000€    -

J1

DF

00

The issue of Roca's departure should be assessed by the club. These are situations that the ownership has to decide on.

Rubén has been whistled for two strange penalties. He has had mistakes and successes like everyone else. These are actions that everyone has seen. We are trying to help him so that, tomorrow or whenever, he does well.

Expósito's physical condition

124

Edu Expósito
4.520.000€-790.000€    -

J1

MD

50

Edu is fine to start if we believe so. We always try to make the right decisions that bring us closer to winning. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes not.

Kike García's role

83

Kike García
3.070.000€-30.000€    11

J1

DL

13

He brings a lot to the team. Sometimes we use one and then the other. Kike helps us a lot. In Valencia, he had a one-on-one situation. As a professional and as a person, he is impeccable.

The fans
I can only speak well of them. I am very grateful for the way they treat us, not only when things are going well. Last year, when things were bad, they were fully behind us. Tomorrow, the fans will be the 12th player, as always.

Analysis of Alavés
We have watched all their matches, with data and images. What you see doesn't deceive you: recurring situations. We try to get the approach right.

Conviction for victory
Every day we want to win. We have been daring and ambitious, like in Valencia or against Barça. Whether it goes well or not is another story. You always get criticized whether you attack or defend. Bielsa said it years ago, but we always go out to win.

Signings
I asked for Mbappé (laughs).
I'm not going to mention any names. We are evaluating options. Some names have come out that are not true. The club is focused on working to raise the level of the squad, and I hope it stays that way.

Closing the goal
Tomorrow I'll bring the bus and put it under the goal to see if we get lucky (joking).

Meeting with referees
I haven't asked how the meeting went. Since the other day, we decided with the players not to talk about it anymore. We can't control it, and talking about the referees won't give us strength, so we won't do it.

Making a statement
Winning solves everything. Football is about results. We want to win as soon as possible and we will go all out.

Rotations and team dynamics
The results dynamic is bad, not the game dynamic. We have won matches that maybe we didn't deserve, and now it's the other way around. We have to keep working and try to win.

I'm not a fan of rotations. Tomorrow at nine, we'll see what's needed.

Emotional management of the locker room
It's key. Players have to see that we are not erratic, that the changes are logical. Sometimes we make changes based on each player's moment, we analyze it and decide.

The only day we thought we were ready and it wasn't was against Las Palmas. I admit that the pressure not to go down has nothing to do with anything I have experienced in football. It overwhelmed us, but we made it through.